Fulton County Ohio Media

It takes a lot of courage for any high school student, who is about to begin their senior year, to leave their home, their family, their friends and especially their country, to begin a nine-month educational adventure as a foreign exchange student in another country that they have never before visited.  It was a decision Arnau Gonzalez, a resident of Canet De Mar, a city in Spain of just under 15,000, about 30 miles from Barcelona, had contemplated for a couple of years.  Initially encouraged by his father to make the move in his sophomore year, Arnau did not feel he was ready at that time, but felt more comfortable as a senior and made the decision that brought him to the United States of America and Swanton, Ohio to be more precise.

Applying to become a foreign exchange student is a lengthy and complex process and applicants must meet a strict criterion.  “We started in October with an agency called United Studies.  You have to fill out paperwork with your grades for the last three years,” explained Arnau.  “Then through October, November, December they start asking you for more things like (academic) awards, blood test and other physical tests.  Everything has to be fine.”

Once he survived that process, he next had to apply for a visa, another red tape-filled procedure that required a road trip to Spain’s capital city of Madrid.  “It was difficult,” said Arnau.  “There is a consulate in Barcelona but they made me go to the (American) embassy in Madrid, a six-hour ride by car.  It is only open for five hours a day and they gave me a date of August 5^th and I was coming here July 30^th.”  Fortunately, the embassy was able to reschedule the appointment for a better time for Arnau and his mother to make the trip.  The appointment, in typical bureaucratic fashion, lasted 15 minutes, where he answered five routine questions, signed a document and got back on the road for the long ride back home.  “You got to be kidding,” Arnau remembered thinking to himself and wondering why something so simple could not have been handled by his local consulate.

Once he finally arrived in America, he was placed with Swanton resident Samantha Kies, who had hosted exchange students in the past.  Arnau was, of course, nervous and apprehensive about how he would be treated, as a foreigner, by his fellow students.  His fears were quickly allayed when he joined the Bulldog soccer team and attended his first practice.  Players befriended Arnau almost immediately and his soccer (Futbol) skills, along with his ability to speak English (mandatory school subject from first grade on) very well, allowed him to become accepted as one of the guys.  Youth sports in Spain, unlike here in America, are not a part of the education system.  Organized sports programs are conducted in what we would call a “club” format.  In the American education system, the inclusion of sports brings student athletes together for a large part of the day and facilitates a tight knit bonding experience.  This familiarity, combined with Arnau’s friendly and charismatic personality, made for a great experience for him and his now many American friends,

The Swanton High School Class of 2023 graduation is just a around the corner.  Unfortunately, Arnau has other pressing issues that will not allow him to walk with his fellow Bulldogs on that day.  He needs to return to Spain to take scheduled exams that will essentially decide his future.  How well he performs on these exams will be added to the grades he received during his last two years in high school.  His overall average will determine what to college he may apply and what he will be allowed to study.  “That’s all that matters.  Your last two years and those exams,” said Arnau, emphasizing the critical importance of his need to return home a little earlier than he would like.  His goal is to be accepted into a university to study law and become an attorney.  In Spain, students wanting to earn a law degree are not required to obtain an undergraduate degree prior to entering law school.

Swanton students, teachers and parents speak very highly of this young man from Spain and say he will be greatly missed. Arnau completely immersed himself in the educational and social culture of Swanton, Ohio, taking full advantage of his opportunity.  He was even able to take side trips to Chicago and New York City.  Chances are very good though, that America and Swanton have not seen the last of Arnau Gonzalez.  He plans to visit at least once a year in the near future.  There is no doubt he will be warmly welcomed back.

Photo: Arnau Gonzalez